Why Do Speaker Use Rhetoric
Why Do Speakers Use Rhetoric? The art of rhetoric has many different purposes that it serves depending on how the speaker presents their intended message. However, the purpose of rhetoric that is proven to be most effective in multiple similar speeches or pieces of writing is to support their claim or position on a topical subject. This use of rhetoric is intentional since the speaker knows that the overall effect would be to prove their position to be justified. Rhetoric shown through images, audio, or video is referred to as visual rhetoric and can be used to achieve the purpose of supporting a claim as well. The picture above was created by Quincy Boardman was a reference to the claim that the United States will always stand. The image shows the white house
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as well as the flag still in near perfect condition. There’s a caption that says, “225 Years Later” which is a time that the artist, or speaker, will not even be here to experience. This shows his confidence in his country. The image is also has a gray contrast to it, which shows age. This promotes the idea that the United States has faced the toughest complications in history and has been able to get through them. That statement refers to the claim that the United States will continue to prevail through the trying times that will be presented to us. This image ties into the concept that the purpose of rhetoric is to support because it uses visual rhetoric to support the idea of the United States being unbroken and everlastingly strong. Another example of rhetoric being used to support an idea or claim would be in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. Kennedy stated, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us” (line 15). This statement supports the previously stated sentence in which Kennedy says, “So let us begin anew—“ (line 14). Line 15 is the first sentence of a series of proclamations and calls of action. It is being used as a detailed form of support to make the previous statement seem more fiercely suggested in order to appeal to the audience in an instructive way. The effect of this would be that the audience would feel like they are being taught or instructed the correct way to do something, in this case, to agree with Kennedy that they should “begin anew.” However, Kennedy would also appeal to the audience in a united way by using terms like “we” and “us” when addressing what changes should be made in the United States. It supports his statement, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures” (line 6). Using those pronouns, including him in them, appeals to the audience’s emotion of support and agreement. The effect is that the audience is more inclined to adhere to his speech suggestions since he makes himself appear to be understanding of their circumstance. Another source to show rhetoric being used to support a position is “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break” by Jody Heyman of the Washington Post.
In this article, Heyman states, “Ireland got the nickname "Celtic tiger" because its growth rate is among the world 's highest -- 6.4 percent per year throughout the 1990s and in the early years of this decade” (Joan Heyman, p. 7). Heyman uses logos to present this information as logically precise since she used detailed information to support her claim that American mothers should receive paid maternity leave in the United States. She also uses ethos by presenting so many statistics that it made her seem like she did a lot of research and has knowledge on the subject. This boosts her credibility and, of course, the effect is that the audience categorizes her information as important. Another example is when Heyman says, “When children get sick, parents in 37 countries are guaranteed at least a minimum amount of paid leave to care for them” (Heyman, p. 7). Once again, the speaker presents statistical information to support her idea stated clearly in the introduction of her article. All of these rhetorical devices are used to support her claim in some
way. The last source is “Los Angeles Notebook” by Joan Didion. Didion uses many descriptive examples to describe the Santa Ana winds that support her idea of the Santa Ana winds being the cause of a lot of mischievous and abnormal behavior in Los Angeles. Didion writes, “The baby frets. The maid sulks” (Didion, p. 39). (She is giving details to prove that the Santa Ana winds caused unusual behavior in Los Angeles by listing the things that occur noticeably most often during the time that the winds blow. The text also says, “There are a number of persistent malevolent winds,” Uses words like “malevolent” set a tone that can be described as unnerving, eerie, or dangerous. The effect is that she has proven her idea, which causes it to be accepted as correct information by the audience. This supports her overall claim that Santa Ana winds cause unnatural occurrences to happen in Los Angeles. Among other purposes of rhetoric, another main purpose is to inform. Some writers or speakers use rhetoric strictly to inform the audience of an event or controversial topic without taking a position on the subject. A BBC article titled “Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash” exemplifies rhetoric being uses strictly informatively. The article by BBC states, “Diana, Princess of Wales, has died after a car crash in Paris”(BBC, p. 29). There is no emotional standpoint whatsoever in the introduction of a tragic event in history. This shows that the article was written purely to inform the audience of the facts about what happened, not to convince them of anything. However, their evidence of the event, such as the details of when, where, and how she died, support the fact that Princess Diana did, indeed, pass away. Even though support is not the main purpose here, it is still a very prominent purpose of rhetoric in this article. In conclusion, there are several possible purposes for a speaker to use rhetoric in their works. Multiple valid sources point to the main purpose being to support the claim or position of the speaker. Even though there are other purposes, such as to inform the audience of an event, it is proven that the most effective purpose of rhetoric is to support a claim or position.
Works Cited
BBC, “Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 29
Didion, Joan, “Los Angeles Notebook”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 38-40
Heyman, Jody, “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin, The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 6-8
Kennedy, John F., “Inaugural Address”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 52-54
as well as the flag still in near perfect condition. There’s a caption that says, “225 Years Later” which is a time that the artist, or speaker, will not even be here to experience. This shows his confidence in his country. The image is also has a gray contrast to it, which shows age. This promotes the idea that the United States has faced the toughest complications in history and has been able to get through them. That statement refers to the claim that the United States will continue to prevail through the trying times that will be presented to us. This image ties into the concept that the purpose of rhetoric is to support because it uses visual rhetoric to support the idea of the United States being unbroken and everlastingly strong. Another example of rhetoric being used to support an idea or claim would be in John F. Kennedy’s inaugural address. Kennedy stated, “Let both sides explore what problems unite us instead of belaboring those problems which divide us” (line 15). This statement supports the previously stated sentence in which Kennedy says, “So let us begin anew—“ (line 14). Line 15 is the first sentence of a series of proclamations and calls of action. It is being used as a detailed form of support to make the previous statement seem more fiercely suggested in order to appeal to the audience in an instructive way. The effect of this would be that the audience would feel like they are being taught or instructed the correct way to do something, in this case, to agree with Kennedy that they should “begin anew.” However, Kennedy would also appeal to the audience in a united way by using terms like “we” and “us” when addressing what changes should be made in the United States. It supports his statement, “United, there is little we cannot do in a host of cooperative ventures” (line 6). Using those pronouns, including him in them, appeals to the audience’s emotion of support and agreement. The effect is that the audience is more inclined to adhere to his speech suggestions since he makes himself appear to be understanding of their circumstance. Another source to show rhetoric being used to support a position is “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break” by Jody Heyman of the Washington Post.
In this article, Heyman states, “Ireland got the nickname "Celtic tiger" because its growth rate is among the world 's highest -- 6.4 percent per year throughout the 1990s and in the early years of this decade” (Joan Heyman, p. 7). Heyman uses logos to present this information as logically precise since she used detailed information to support her claim that American mothers should receive paid maternity leave in the United States. She also uses ethos by presenting so many statistics that it made her seem like she did a lot of research and has knowledge on the subject. This boosts her credibility and, of course, the effect is that the audience categorizes her information as important. Another example is when Heyman says, “When children get sick, parents in 37 countries are guaranteed at least a minimum amount of paid leave to care for them” (Heyman, p. 7). Once again, the speaker presents statistical information to support her idea stated clearly in the introduction of her article. All of these rhetorical devices are used to support her claim in some
way. The last source is “Los Angeles Notebook” by Joan Didion. Didion uses many descriptive examples to describe the Santa Ana winds that support her idea of the Santa Ana winds being the cause of a lot of mischievous and abnormal behavior in Los Angeles. Didion writes, “The baby frets. The maid sulks” (Didion, p. 39). (She is giving details to prove that the Santa Ana winds caused unusual behavior in Los Angeles by listing the things that occur noticeably most often during the time that the winds blow. The text also says, “There are a number of persistent malevolent winds,” Uses words like “malevolent” set a tone that can be described as unnerving, eerie, or dangerous. The effect is that she has proven her idea, which causes it to be accepted as correct information by the audience. This supports her overall claim that Santa Ana winds cause unnatural occurrences to happen in Los Angeles. Among other purposes of rhetoric, another main purpose is to inform. Some writers or speakers use rhetoric strictly to inform the audience of an event or controversial topic without taking a position on the subject. A BBC article titled “Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash” exemplifies rhetoric being uses strictly informatively. The article by BBC states, “Diana, Princess of Wales, has died after a car crash in Paris”(BBC, p. 29). There is no emotional standpoint whatsoever in the introduction of a tragic event in history. This shows that the article was written purely to inform the audience of the facts about what happened, not to convince them of anything. However, their evidence of the event, such as the details of when, where, and how she died, support the fact that Princess Diana did, indeed, pass away. Even though support is not the main purpose here, it is still a very prominent purpose of rhetoric in this article. In conclusion, there are several possible purposes for a speaker to use rhetoric in their works. Multiple valid sources point to the main purpose being to support the claim or position of the speaker. Even though there are other purposes, such as to inform the audience of an event, it is proven that the most effective purpose of rhetoric is to support a claim or position.
Works Cited
BBC, “Princess Diana Dies in Paris Crash”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 29
Didion, Joan, “Los Angeles Notebook”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 38-40
Heyman, Jody, “We Can Afford to Give Parents a Break”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin, The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 6-8
Kennedy, John F., “Inaugural Address”, Shea, Renee H., Scanlon, Lawrence, Aufses, Robin Dissin. The Language of Composition. 1st Edition. Boston: Bedford Lt. Martin’s, 2008. p. 52-54